Sleep assistance device

ABSTRACT

A sleep assistance device is provided-for, including a contactless biometric sensor, a processor, memory, and a speaker. The processor detects a user&#39;s sleep state by reading signals from the contactless biometric sensor. The processor may then initiate a wind-down routine upon detecting a sleep-readiness state, including playing relaxing sounds or playing a respiration entrainment sound. The processor may also play noise-masking sounds upon detecting that a user has fallen asleep and seamlessly transition between the sounds played during the wind-down routine and the noise-masking sounds.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______entitled Sleep Quality Scoring and Improvement (Attorney Docket No.B2108-701419); U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ entitledIntelligent Wake-Up System (Attorney Docket No. B2108-701519); U.S.patent application Ser. No. ______ entitled Sleep System (AttorneyDocket No. B2108-701719); U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______entitled User Interface for a Sleep System (Attorney Docket No.B2108-701819); and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ entitledSleep Assessment Using a Home Sleep System (Attorney Docket No.B2108-701919); all of which are filed on even date herewith and areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems, methods, and apparatuses for aidinga user to fall asleep, stay asleep, and achieve a higher quality ofsleep throughout the night.

BACKGROUND

Sleeplessness and poor or interrupted sleep may significantly affect aperson's health. Poor sleep may be caused by such factors as ambientnoise, stress, medical conditions, or discomfort. Thus, there exists aneed for a sleep aid that can help address the underlying causes of poorsleep without adversely affecting the user's health in other, unintendedways.

SUMMARY

This disclosure relates to systems, methods, and apparatuses for aidinga user to fall asleep, stay asleep, and achieve a higher quality ofsleep throughout the night.

All examples and features mentioned below can be combined in anytechnically possible way.

In one example, a sleep assistance device is provided-for, including ahousing; a contactless biometric sensor for determining at least one ofa heart rate, a respiratory rate, a presence of a user, or movement of auser; a processor; memory; and a speaker. The processor may beconfigured to detect a user's sleep state by reading signals from thecontactless biometric sensor based on at least one of a detected changein heartrate, body movement, respiration, or a user's presence. Theprocessor may also be configured to initiate a wind-down routine upondetecting a sleep-readiness state, the wind-down routine including atleast one of playing relaxing sounds or playing a respirationentrainment sound. The processor may also be configured to playnoise-masking sounds upon detecting that a user has fallen asleep andseamlessly transition between the sounds played during the wind-downroutine and the noise-masking sounds. In some examples of the sleepassistance device the processor may be configured to detect asleep-readiness state of a user by reading signals from the contactlessbiometric sensor and determining that a user is present. In otherexamples, the sleep assistance device may also include a photodetectorand the processor may detect a sleep-readiness state of a user byreading signals from the photodetector and determining that the lightsin the vicinity of the sleep assistance device have been turned down.

In some implementations of the sleep assistance device, the relaxingsounds played during a relaxation routine may be a soundscape includingat least one sound relating to a scene or place. The respirationentrainment sounds may also be a soundscape including at least one soundrelating to a scene or place. In such examples, the processor may beconfigured to play at least one of the respiration entrainment sounds ata regular interval for respiration entrainment. The processor may beconfigured to detect a user's initial respiration rate and determine theregular interval for respiration entrainment based on the user's initialrespiration rate. The processor may also be configured to periodicallydetect the user's current respiration rate after determining theirinitial respiration rate and to adjust the regular interval forrespiration entrainment based on the user's current respiration rate.The processor may also be configured to determine an optimal respirationrate for a user and determine the regular interval for respirationentrainment based on the optimal respiration rate.

In other implementations, the sleep assistance device may also include amicrophone and the processor may be further configured to detect ambientnoise conditions within a sleep space and to select said noise-maskingsounds based on the detected ambient noise conditions. The processor mayalso be configured to seamlessly transition between the sounds playedduring the wind-down routine and the noise-masking sounds by graduallyadjusting the sound properties of the sounds played during saidwind-down routine to match the sound properties of the selectednoise-masking sounds.

In another example, a sleep assistance device may be provided-for,including a housing; a contactless biometric sensor for determining atleast one of a heart rate, a respiratory rate, a presence of a user, ormovement of a user; a processor; memory; and a speaker. The processormay be configured to detect a user's sleep state by reading signals fromthe contactless biometric sensor based on at least one of a detectedchange in heartrate, body movement, respiration, or a user's presence.The processor may also be configured to initiate a wind-down routineautomatically upon detecting that a user is ready to sleep. Thewind-down routine includes presenting a user with at least one of anend-of-day checklist, home status information, or information regardingthe current sleep status of a third party. The wind-down routine mayalso include playing sounds or music for encouraging relaxation of auser and the processor may be configured to select or arrange the soundsor music based, at least in part, on information received from thecontactless biometric sensor or a user profile. In some examples of thesleep assistance device, the processor may be configured to arrange saidsounds in the form of a soundscape. The processor may be furtherconfigured to arrange said soundscape by selecting, arranging, andmixing the sound elements for the soundscape. The processor may alsoconfigured to initiate a sound-masking routine upon detecting that auser has fallen asleep in order to mask ambient noises.

In other examples, the sleep assistance device may also include amicrophone for detecting external noises within a room or sleep space.In such examples, the processor may be configured to initiate asound-masking routine by reading signals from the microphone, analyzingambient noises detected by the microphone, and selecting, arranging, ormixing a complimentary background sound based, at least in part, on thenoises detected by the microphone. The processor may be furtherconfigured to arrange the complimentary background sound by selecting,arranging, and mixing the sound elements for a soundscape. The processormay also be configured to gradually transition from the sounds or musicfor encouraging relaxation to the complimentary background sound

A method for helping a user fall asleep may also be provided-for,including the steps of detecting a first biometric indicator of a userincluding at least one of a heart rate, respiration rate, or presence ofa user; based on the first biometric indicator, determining that theuser is ready to fall asleep; selecting a first background noise thatincludes a repeating sound element; arranging the first background noiseso that said repeating sound element repeats at a rate that is lowerthan the detected heart rate or respiration rate of the user in order toreduce the heart rate or respiration rate of a user through entrainment;detecting a second biometric indicator of a user including at least oneof a heart rate, respiration rate, or presence of a user; based on thesecond biometric indicator, determining that the user has fallen asleep;detecting ambient noises; arranging a second background noise formasking the detected ambient noises; and gradually transitioning fromthe first background noise to the second background noise.

In some examples of the method the first and second background noisesinclude soundscapes associated with naturally-occurring scenes and theat least one repeating sound element is a naturally-occurring soundelement within at least one of the scenes. In some examples, the firstbackground noise may be a beach soundscape and the repeating soundelement may be the sound of a wave crashing. In other examples, thefirst background noise may be a forest soundscape and the repeatingsound element may be the sound of a frog.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of at least one implementation of a sleep assistancedevice are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures.The figures are provided for the purposes of illustration andexplanation and are not intended as a definition of the limits of thedisclosure.

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a sleep assistance device with arectangular housing in one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of a sleep assistance device with acylindrical housing in one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1C is a front perspective view of a sleep assistance device with asquare housing in one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of the components of a sleep assistance device inone example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a potential sequence of steps for a sleepassistance program in one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a potential sequence of steps for arespiration entrainment subroutine in one example of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a potential sequence of steps for asound-masking subroutine in one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a potential sequence of steps for awake-up subroutine in one example of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intendedto limit the disclosure to an exemplary implementation. To the contrary,it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents asmay be included within the spirit and scope of the described subjectmatter.

FIGS. 1A-1C are front perspective views of a sleep assistance device 1in three examples of the present disclosure. As shown, a sleepassistance device 1 may include a housing 3, a display screen 5,speakers 7, and buttons 8 or a touchscreen 9 for inputting informationinto the sleep assistance device. A wide variety of forms may beutilized for a sleep assistance device, including a rectangular shape(e.g. FIG. 1A), an elongate cylindrical tower (e.g. FIG. 1B), or a flatsquare shape (e.g. FIG. 1C). However, as one of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate, any suitable form factor may be utilized that maybe suitable for being placed nearby a user while sleeping, such as on anight stand, for example. In such examples, housing 3 may be formed intoa suitable shape from any rigid materials, including plastics, metals,wood, or composites.

In some examples, display screen 5 may provide biometric or sleepinformation gathered by sleep assistance device 1 that may be ofinterest to a user. Such information may include information regardingthe user's biometrics observed during sleep periods, such as informationregarding the user's presence, heart rate, heart rate variability,respiratory rate, ambient temperature, movement, snoring, or sleep stateover time. This may be direct information or derived information. Insome examples, display screen 5 may also include a clock as shown, inFIGS. 1A-1C.

Speakers 7 may comprise any suitable speaker system for generatingsounds, as may be familiar to one of ordinary skill in the art. In someexamples, speakers 7 may comprise an upwards firing driver along with anacoustic deflector, to provide an omni-directional acousticalexperience. Such configurations may be helpful for providingnon-directional, room-filling sounds for a soundscape or a white noisewhile a user is sleeping. Omni-directional sounds systems may beparticularly helpful to achieve soothing sounds, a natural wake-upexperience, and a consistent listening experience throughout the room.As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, any acceptablesound system for speakers 7 may be employed for producing room-fillingsounds, however.

Touchscreen 9 or buttons 8 may comprise any suitable means fordelivering inputs to sleep assistance device 1, including a tactilesensor coupled to a surface of housing 3 for detecting the presence of auser's fingers and for detecting pressure, such as when a virtual buttonon touchscreen 9 is being pressed by a user. Virtual buttons may bedisplayed on touchpad 9 in a manner familiar to one of ordinary skill inthe art in order to allow an operating system to accept input commandsfrom a user. In this manner, sleep assistance device 1 may be configuredto accept input commands in a variety of ways and in a variety ofcontexts, by providing a programmable user interface that may presentoptions and choices to a user via touchpad 9. In other examples,touchscreen 9 may present a permanent display of fixed virtual buttonsor include fixed physical buttons 8 for receiving inputs from a user.

In some examples, display screen 5 and a touchscreen 9 may not benecessary or may be reduced in function because a user's smartphone orother external computing device may be used for linking with sleepassistance device 1, displaying information from sleep assistance device1, accepting inputs, and delivering them to sleep assistance device 1 inorder to control its functions. In such a configuration, the displayscreen 5 and touchscreen 9, if any, may display and control only typicalbedside clock-related functions, such as time, alarm, and musicselection, or a simplified component of the sleep score, such as just atotal score value, may be displayed.

FIG. 2 provides an exemplary schematic of a sleep assistance device,showing its components. As shown, sleep assistance device 1 may includeone or more main board(s) 13, including a processor 15, memory 11, andinterconnects 12. Main board 13 controls the operation of several otherconnected components, such as a microphone 10, display screen 5, audioamplifier 6, speakers 7, and buttons 8 or a touchscreen 9 for inputtinginformation into the sleep assistance device. Communications hardware 17may include any wired or wireless communication means suitable for usewith a sleep assistance device, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, micro USB,or any suitable wired or wireless communications technologies known toone of ordinary skill in the art. Main board 13 also receivesinformation from biometric sensor 19 as well any number of environmentalsensors 18, for detecting environmental conditions, such as temperature,humidity, ambient light, and air quality. Main board 13 also receivesinputs based on a user's interactions with a user interface 14, whichmay include voice-activated commands detected by microphone 10; variousaudio, alarm, and sleep control inputs received from buttons 8 ortouchscreen 9; or inputs received from a companion application runningon a user's smart phone or other external computing device. Thecommunications hardware 17 may also provide communications with externaldata sources, such as weather reports, and connected home servicesproviding access to such things as lights, thermostat, locks, and any ofthe sensors 18.

Microphone 10 may be any suitable microphone for detecting and samplingsounds within a user's bedroom or sleep space, as is known to one ofordinary skill in the art. In some examples, microphone 10 may be anarrayed microphone that is suitable for distinguishing between soundsproduced by sleep assistance device 1 and sounds produced externallywithin the user's bedroom or sleep space. In examples where microphone10 comprises an arrayed microphone, it may comprise a plurality ofomnidirectional microphones, directional microphones, or any mixturethereof, distributed about sleep assistance device 1. Microphone 10 maybe coupled to processor 15 for simultaneous processing of the signalsfrom each individual microphone in a manner familiar to one of ordinaryskill in the art in order to distinguish between sounds produced bysleep assistance device 1 and other sounds within the room and toanalyze any external noises for use with sound-masking subroutine 27, asdiscussed below. Microphone 10 may employ beamforming or othertechniques to achieve directionality in a particular direction, forexample, towards a sound to be analyzed. Microphone 10 may be employedboth for monitoring the user's sleep and for receiving spoken userinterface commands.

Biometric sensor 19 remotely detects information about a nearby user,including bed presence, respiration rate, heart rate, heart ratevariability, or a sleep state among other biometric indicators. In someexamples, biometric sensor 19 may be a contactless biometric sensorwhich may use an RF sensor for directing RF signals towards a user,measuring the strength of the backscattered signal, and analyzing thebackscattered signal to determine the state of various vital signs of auser over time. Other contactless biometric techniques may includelasers for measuring minor skin deflections caused by a user's heartrate and blood pressure; or image-based monitoring systems, whereby skindeflections caused by heartbeats and blood pressure may be observed andanalyzed over time through a camera. Biometric sensor 19 may beconfigured to report detected biometric information to processor 15 forstorage in memory 11 and to be analyzed for use in the varioussubroutines described herein.

In other examples, sleep assistance device 1 may also employ a directbiometric sensor as is known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Adirect biometric sensor may include probes or contact pads, that may bedisposed on or under the user's body or within their mattress or sheetsin order to mechanically detect biometric information, such as movement,respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature, among others.Such sensors may include accelerometers, other motion sensors, ormechanical sensors such as piezoelectric sensors or other vibrationsensors. The biometric information detected by the probes may then becommunicated to sleep assistance device 1 using a wired or wirelessconnection in a manner known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Insome examples, a biometric sensor may be placed within earbuds worn by auser. Other implementations may combine both contactless and directbiometric sensors. Mechanical sensors that measure the body through anintervening medium, such as bedding, are included in the category of“contactless” biometric sensors.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in some examples, processor 15 may initiate asleep program 20 that may include a series of steps or subroutines toaid a user in achieving longer or higher quality sleep throughout thenight, depending on a user's preferences and information supplied bybiometric sensor 19. For example, in a first step, sleep assistancedevice 1 is activated, and processor 15 may initialize a sleep program20, which may run on a continuous basis or by default (box 301 in FIG.3). In some examples, a user may be able to selectively deactivate sleepprogram 20 when it is not necessary. In a second step, processor 15determines whether a user is ready to sleep, thereby initiating thevarious subroutines of sleep program 20 (box 302). For example,processor 15 may be configured to read signals from biometric sensor 19to determine a user's sleep readiness based on a user's presence in bed,room lighting being turned down (based on signals from a photodetector,for example), turning off a TV or radio, or based on a pre-set bed timedefined by a user. Additional sleep readiness indicators may be observedby sleep assistance device 1. Preferably, such indicators may bepassively observed without the need for a user to manually indicate thatthey are preparing for sleep (e.g. by pressing a button). Informationabout the state of external devices may be observed by sensors in thesleep assistance device 1, or through integration with a home-automationsystem.

In some examples, processor 15 may initiate a wind-down routineimmediately upon detection of a sleep readiness indicator by the sleepassistance device. In other examples, however, processor 15 may initiatewind-down routine 21 at an established interval after detecting a sleepreadiness indicator. For example, a user may wish to begin the wind-downroutine after first having an opportunity to read in bed or engaging inany other desired activity. Thus, in a third step, processor 15 maydelay initiating wind-down subroutine 21 based on a user's preferencethat may be input by a user (box 303 and 303A). Such delays may bepre-programmed or configurable by a user. If no sleep readinessindicator is detected, processor 15 may be configured to re-check forsleep readiness either periodically or continually.

Once biometric sensor 19 detects a sleep readiness indicator and anypre-set delay time has lapsed, processor 15 may initiate a wind-downsubroutine 21 in a fourth step (box 304). Once wind-down routine 21 hasbeen activated, processor 15 may initiate a series of steps to conditionthe user for higher quality rest, including initiating a mind-clearingsubroutine 23, an acoustic relaxation subroutine 25, or a respirationentrainment subroutine 26.

In a fifth step, wind-down subroutine 21 may begin, in some examples,with a mind-clearing subroutine 23 (box 305). Mind-clearing subroutine23 is designed to help a user clear their mind of thoughts and concernsthat may remain with the user at the end of the day, thereby adverselyaffecting sleep. During mind-clearing subroutine 23, processor 15 maypresent the user, via user interface screen 5, verbal commands, or anexternal computing device, with a checklist of information relevant tothe user's day. For example, a user may be prompted with the eventsscheduled in the user's calendar for that day, which may be checked-offas completed or otherwise addressed. Processor 15 may also presentinformation regarding the status of various in-home systems by accessinginformation provided by a home automation system, if present, such asthe thermostat settings, door lock status, or garage door status. Inother examples, processor 15 may receive information from other devicesto check on the sleep state of a user's child or other family members inthe house, in order to confirm that other people are already asleep. Ina similar manner, processor 15 may add any user-defined end-of-day itemsto a checklist so as to help clear the user's mind before sleeping.Furthermore, during mind-clearing subroutine 23, processor 15 maycommunicate with any available external systems, such as a user'scalendar or home automation system, in order to put a user's mind atease before sleeping.

At step six, wind-down routine 21 may also include an acousticrelaxation subroutine 25 (box 306). Once acoustic relaxation subroutine25 has been activated, processor 15 begins playing a series ofrecordings or sounds designed to relax a user, which may lower theuser's respiration rate, heartrate, blood pressure or overall stresslevels prior to sleeping. For example, processor 15 may select songswith a relaxing tempo, in a manner known to one of ordinary skill in theart. In other examples, sleep assistance device 1 may select songs thathave been observed in the past to relax the current user or a populationor users. In such examples, a local or online database of songs may besearched to identify a song file having acoustic properties matching auser's preferences. Processor 15 may further be configured to manageattributes of the music such as the volume level, tempo, or dynamicrange in order to achieve optimal relaxation. The acoustic relaxationsubroutine 25 may be performed at the same time as the mind-clearingsubroutine 23, or they may be performed sequentially, depending on theuser's preferences or other configuration parameters.

Other relaxations subroutines may be executed at step 6 of wind-downroutine 21, such as a respiration entrainment subroutine 26. This may beused after the relaxation subroutine 25 or in place of it. To help theuser fall asleep, one prominent sound element within a soundscape, suchas a frog in a forest scene, or a wave in a beach scene, is used as anentrainment feature. The selected sound element is played at intervalsthat are slightly slower than the respiratory rate of the user, based onsignals received from biometric sensor 19. As the user's respiratoryrate slows to match the intervals of the entrainment feature, processor15 detects the reduction through biometric sensor 19. Processor 15 thenmakes a corresponding adjustment in the intervals at which theentrainment feature is played, thereby encouraging yet further reductionin respiratory rate until optimal vital signs for sleep are achieved.Once biometric sensor 19 detects that a user has fallen asleep (box 307and 308) the entrainment subroutine stops, and the system moves on tothe next subroutine. In some examples, the selected sound element andentrainment feature may remain an inconspicuous feature within theoverall soundscape and may only impact the user's respiration rate in asubliminal manner. In other examples, the entrainment sound is moreprominent, and the user is encouraged to consciously attempt tosynchronize their breathing with it.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a potential sequence of steps forperforming respiration entrainment subroutine 26. To begin, in step 6A,processor 15 determines a user's biometric parameters for respirationentrainment (box 401 in FIG. 4). Processor 15 reads signals frombiometric sensor 19 to determine a user's current biometrics, such asheart rate and respiration rate. At step 6B, processor 15 may assessesthe user's preferences and history by referring to a user's relaxationprofile 30, which may be data stored in memory 11 and containinginformation regarding what acoustic conditions have or have not helpedto achieve a relaxed state for the user in the past (box 402).

User profile 30 may be created for a user or for multiple users duringan initial setup process, and may be re-configured over time. In someexamples, user profile 30 includes a user's preferences for the types ofsounds to be used. In other examples, processor 15 automaticallypopulates the user profile continuously by observing a user's responseto certain relaxation techniques, as observed through biometric sensor19. In some implementations, the relaxation profile correlates a user'sacoustic preferences to the user's current biometric readings, asdetermined at step 6A. In referring to user profile 30, processor 15assess a user's acoustic preferences regarding such factors as: 1) whichsoundscapes a user prefers, 2) the user's volume preferences, or 3) theuser's pitch and tempo preferences, among other things, based on similarobserved biometric conditions in the past.

At step 6C, entrainment subroutine 26 selects a soundscape that fallswithin the parameters suggested by the user's profile 30 (box 403). Thesoundscape may be selected by processor 15 based on the user's historywithin the user profile or may be manually selected by a user in someexamples. Once a suitable soundscape has been selected, processor 15plays sounds associated with a relaxing scene or environment, such as abeach, a forest, a brook, traffic, city sounds, or a light rain. In someexamples, processor 15 may play pre-recorded examples of such sounds ona repeating basis. However, this approach may result in periods ofrepetition as the recorded sounds necessarily repeat in order to providea continuous soundscape. These instances of repetition may actuallydeter relaxation or sleep when a user becomes aware of them and beginsfocusing on them. In preferred implementations, the individual soundelements of such relaxing scenes and environments (e.g., a cricket orfrog in a forest scene or a seagull sound in a beach scene) are providedas independent sound records in memory 11, which are mixed and played atrandom or semi-random intervals by processor 15 in order to provide acontinuous and more-natural soundscape, which minimizes thenoticeability of any looping.

Each available soundscape is produced when processor 15 executes asoundscape program stored in memory 11, which provides or identifies acollection of sound records associated with the selected soundscape(e.g. a forest or seaside, or fireplace soundscape program). Thesoundscape program may include instructions for mixing the various soundrecords representing the individual sounds comprising the soundscape.These may include instructions regarding repetition, pitch, or volume ofeach individual sound record, among any other acoustic factors known toone of ordinary skill in the art. In some examples, the soundscapeprograms include default settings for mixing the relevant sound records.In other examples, the settings may be adjusted by processor 15 based ona user's profile or by user input. When a respiration entrainmentfeature has been selected, processor 15 will arrange one sound recordamong the set of sounds records included within the soundscape programas an entrainment feature. To do so, processor 15 arranges the sound tobe played at an interval that will encourage a user to reduce theirrespiration rate so as to achieve an optimal respiration rate.

At step 6D, processor 15 may adjust the period of repetition, volume,tempo, or pitch settings of individual sound elements while observingany changes in biometric indicators, such as heart rate, respiration, ormovement, in order to determine an optimal setting for each individualsound element (box 404). For example, processor 15 may take additionalreadings from biometric sensor 19 in order to determine whether a userhas matched their respiration rate to the same intervals as theentrainment feature within the soundscape. Where additional reductionsin respiration rate are desired, processor 15 may further reduce theperiod of repetition for the entrainment feature, until optimalrespiration is achieved. In other examples, a user may be able to adjustthe relative settings of individual sound elements manually, so as tooverride the settings automatically determined by entrainment subroutine26. Any biometric feedback or manual changes observed by sleepassistance device 1 may be recorded in a user's profile 29 in order toprovide a more customized entrainment feature or relaxation experiencein the future.

Returning again to FIG. 3, at step 7, processor 15 determines, on aperiodic or continual basis, whether a user has begun actively sleeping(box 307). To do so, processor 15 reads signals from biometric sensor 19to determine whether there has been a measurable change in heart rate,respiration, body movements, or any other biometric indicator of sleepknown to one of ordinary skill in the art. Processor 15 then activates asound-masking subroutine 27, which is intended to aid in keeping a userasleep and helping them achieve better quality sleep by producing awhite noise or soundscape that is selected or modified to optimally maskthe ambient noises within the room (box 308). To avoid disturbing theuser during the transition from the relaxation or entrainmentsubroutines to the masking subroutine, the same sounds are used, atleast initially, with their properties modified gradually to make thetransition from one mode to the next less disruptive. For example, if awave crashing was used as the entrainment feature, the last wave soundof the entrainment mode is allowed to finish before the switch takesplace, and wave crashes continue to feature in the masking mode, but nowat a random interval and at a volume determined by the maskingsubroutine 27. In this way, the user is not disturbed from sleep by thesudden change in soundscape.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example sequence of steps forsound-masking subroutine 27. At step 8A, processor 15 receivesinformation regarding ambient noises detected within the room frommicrophone 10 which, as discussed above, may be a microphone array inorder to distinguish between sounds produced by sleep assistance device1 and external noises occurring within a user's bedroom or sleep space(box 501 in FIG. 5). Echo-cancellation may also be used to remove thesounds produced by the sleep assistance device from the microphonesignal. As processor 15 receives information regarding the noiseproperties of a user's room via microphone 10, it analyzes informationregarding room noise, including identifying particular sounds, alongwith its volume, pitch, tempo, or other acoustic properties of intereston a continual basis.

At step 8B, processor 15 determines user preferences for noise maskingby referring to the user's current sleep profile 29, which may be adatabase stored in memory 11 (box 502). Sleep profile 29 may correlateuser preferences with a user's biometric readings and room noiseconditions determined at step 8A. To determine a user's noise maskingpreferences, processor 15 references a user's preferences regardingvarious factors, including whether the user prefers music, soundscapes,or white noise; the user's volume preferences, and the user's pitch andtempo preferences. These preferences may be based on past biometricreadings, room noise conditions, or past user inputs. In some examples,sleep profile 29 is not used, and processor 15 selects noise-maskingsounds based on the observed room noises, alone.

In step 8C, as processor 15 continues to analyze the noise properties ofthe sleep space, it simultaneously selects complimentary backgroundnoise (box 503). The noise may be loaded from memory 11 or from anetwork library of sounds including songs, white noise, and soundscapes,which may have similar acoustic properties to the noise, making itwell-suited for masking observed external noises. In some examples,processor 15 generates the background noise from complimentary soundsassociated with a relaxing scene or environment, such as those employedthrough acoustic relaxation subroutine 25 and entrainment routine 26 (asdiscussed above). In such examples, the individual sound elements of arelaxing scene or environment may compliment the acoustic properties ofthe ambient noises detected within the sleep space. For example, soundelements employed as part of a soundscape having similar properties to adetected sound (e.g. waves on a beach may be determined to becomplimentary to the sound of cars travelling on a nearby road) may beconfigured to match the analogous, external noises as closely aspossible, for example, by matching the pitch, volume, or the tempo ofsuch detected noises.

Also at step 8C, once processor 15 selects and arranges a complimentarybackground noise it transitions the sounds being played during the priorentrainment or relaxation subroutines into the sounds played duringsound-masking subroutine 27. To do so, processor 15 uses the samesounds, at least initially, with their properties modified gradually tomake the transition from one mode to the next less disruptive. Forexample, if a wave crashing was used as the entrainment feature during aprior respiration entrainment subroutine, the last wave sound is allowedto finish before beginning to transition to the complimentary soundsselected for the sound-masking subroutine. The wave crashes may alsocontinue to feature in the sound-masking mode, but now at a randominterval and at a volume determined by the masking subroutine 27. Inthis way, the user is not disturbed from sleep by the sudden change insoundscape.

As with entrainment subroutine 26, processor 15 may periodically adjustthe acoustic properties of individual sound elements within a soundscapeduring sound-masking subroutine 27, in response to changes in a user'ssleep state. In step 8D, for example, based on the data received frombiometric sensor 19, the processor 15 adjusts the soundscape to increasethe masking level when it appears that the user was disturbed by a soundin the environment (box 504). The system may also monitor the user'ssleep state to determine whether such periodic adjustments arepreferable or detrimental to user's sleep patterns, and update a usersleep profile 29 in memory 11, if appropriate. In this way, sleepassistance device 1 may become better-adapted to a particular user'ssleep patterns and preferences over time, thereby providing healthier,deeper, and less interrupted sleep.

Referring again to FIG. 3, processor 15 also determines whether a userremains asleep. At step 9, processor 15 receives signals from biometricsensor 19 and determines whether a user has awoken based, for example,on a detected change in heart rate, respiration, or movement (box 309).At step 10, processor 15 determines whether the incidence of waking wasplanned or unplanned, indicating interrupted sleep (box 310). In someexamples, processor 15 makes this determination by comparing the currenttime to a user's pre-defined waking timeframe, alarm settings, or theuser's historic waking timeframe for that day of the week. If thepresent time falls prior to an appropriate waking time, processor 15determines that the user has awoken prematurely and sleep program 20 mayreturn to step 6 and re-initiate the acoustic relaxation subroutine orentrainment subroutine in order to re-establish normal sleep. On theother hand, if processor 15 determines that the instance of waking wasplanned, processor 15 terminates noise-masking subroutine 27 andrestarts sleep program 20 after a pre-set delay time, in order to allowthe user time to vacate the sleep space.

In some examples, sleep assistance device 1 also provides a wake upalarm or signal based on information received from other sleepassistance devices within the home or other external systems linked withsleep assistance device 1. For example, processor 15 may trigger a wakeup alarm based on a significant disruption in a child's sleep patterndetected by another device within the home. In other examples, processor15 may wake a user if material changes in the home's operation aredetected by a home automation system, such as a significant, unplannedtemperature drop within the home or the activation of a smoke alarm ormotion sensor.

In some examples, processor 15 logs the signals received by biometricsensor 19 throughout the night. Details logged may include recordedwake-up events, frequency of movement, heart rate, respiration, or anyother information regarding a user that is observed by biometric sensor19. Information detected by microphone 10 may also be logged, such asinstances of snoring, sleep apneas, or sleep-talking, among others. Anyinformation relevant to the quality or duration of a user's sleep may bereceived by processor 15, logged in memory 11, and displayed on userinterface screen 5 or an external computing device, where theinformation may be displayed along with a report regarding the relativequality and duration of the user's sleep.

As shown in FIG. 3, where a user continues to sleep through the night,processor 15 may eventually terminate sound-masking subroutine 27 andinitiate a wake-up subroutine 41 in order to awaken a user deliberatelyat step 11 (box 311). FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example sequenceof steps for a wake-up subroutine 41. In instances where a user does notwake prematurely or on their own, sleep assistance device 1 enters awake-up subroutine 41 to help users wake up in a comfortable andhealthier manner. At step 11A, processor 15 may initiate wake-upsubroutine 41 based on a pre-defined wake-up time or based on theobserved biometrics of a user or a combination thereof (box 601 in FIG.6). For example, processor 15 may initiate wake-up subroutine 41 onlyafter a user has been observed by biometric sensor 19 to have slept fora desired amount of time or has achieved a predetermined level of sleepquality (such as REM sleep or NREM sleep) for a desired period of time.In other examples, a user may define a desired wake-up window, whichindicates the earliest time at which a user may be awoken, provided thatsleep assistance device 1 has determined that sufficient sleep has takenplace, or a latest time, by which the user must be awoken, regardless ofthe amount of sleep they have had. In instances where a user isapproaching a pre-defined final wake-up time, wake-up subroutine 41 mayinitialize in advance of the final wake-up time in order to provide forsufficient time to enter into a gentle wake-up subroutine.

At step 11B, processor 15 enters a gentle wake-up subroutine 43 (box602). During gentle wake-up subroutine 43, processor 15 continuesplaying the music, soundscape, or white noise or other sounds that hadbeen playing during the prior operation of sound-masking subroutine 27.However, in gentle wake-up subroutine 43, processor 15 gradually altersthe acoustic properties of the sounds so as to gradually raise theconsciousness of a user from sleep without alarming the user's nerves or“shocking” them out of sleep as a with a traditional alarm clock. Forexample, processor 15 may gradually alter the volume or pitch of anycurrently-playing white noise or soundscape. Processor 15 may also alterthe operation of any currently running soundscape program by introducingnew sound records into the soundscape program, such as sound recordsassociated with a morning timeframe for the given soundscape. Forexample, where owl or cricket sound records were mixed into a soundscapeduring sound-masking subroutine 27, sound records associated withmorning songbirds are introduced into the soundscape program during thegentle wake-up subroutine. Where an urban soundscape is used, forexample, sound records such as delivery trucks or the sound of shopsopening for business may be used. Thus, the soundscapes generated bysleep assistance device 1 change in gentle-wake up subroutine to reflecta morning setting for the selected soundscape. Such natural morningtransitions within a consistent soundscape setting may further aid auser in waking naturally and gradually from sleep. Where music is beingutilized by sound-masking subroutine 27, processor 15 may also beginselecting songs with acoustic properties that are somewhat lessconducive to continual sleep, while also adjusting the volume, in orderto begin encouraging a user to wake up.

Processor 15 may also adjust the acoustic properties of the sounds beingplayed by sleep assistance device 1 during the gentle wake-up subroutinewith reference to the information contained in sleep profile 29. Forexample, sleep profile 29 may include data regarding acoustic properties(such as the volume, pitch, or other acoustic properties) that arelikely to wake a given user from sleep (e.g., an alarm sound), based onpast observations from biometric sensor 19. In this case, processor 15may gradually transition the acoustic properties of the sounds beingplayed by sleep assistance device 1 towards an alarm sound whileavoiding acoustic properties that are likely to completely wake theuser. In some implementations, gentle wake-up subroutine 41 isconfigured to gradually transition sleep assistance device 1 from thesound settings employed during sound-masking subroutine 27 to the soundsettings employed during an alarm subroutine 45 (described below). If auser does awaken during gentle wake-up subroutine, biometric sensor 19indicates that the user has awoken and processor 15 may record thewake-up event and current acoustic settings in sleep profile 29 tofurther refine the acoustic settings that are employed in the futureduring gentle wake-up subroutine 43. Once the gentle wake-up subroutine43 has been initiated, processor 15 also begins checking to determinewither the user has awoken, based on signals received from biometricsensor 19 (box 603). If so, processor 15 records the wake-up settings insleep profile 29 and terminates wake-up subroutine 41 (box 604). If theuser has not awoken during gentle wake-up subroutine 43, wake-upsubroutine 41 proceeds to step 11C.

At step 11C, processor 15 initializes alarm subroutine 45 when itdetermines that the user's final wakeup time has been reached withoutthe user awakening (box 605). When alarm subroutine 45 is activated,processor 15 continues playing the music, soundscape, white noise orother sounds that had been playing during the prior operation of gentlewake-up routine 43. However, in alarm subroutine 45, processor 15 altersthe acoustic properties of the sounds so as to fully awaken the user.For example, processor 15 may further alter the volume or pitch of anycurrently-playing white noise or soundscape beyond a level that islikely to wake the user, based on the information stored in sleepprofile 29. Processor 15 may also alter the operation of any currentlyrunning soundscape program by introducing more disruptive sound recordsassociated with a morning timeframe for the given soundscape. Forexample, where a forest soundscape is utilized, alarm subroutine 45 mayselect additional, more disruptive bird calls or animal sounds orincrease the regularity of such sound records within the soundscape mix.Where an urban soundscape is used, sounds such as honking horns orjack-hammers may be added. Thus, the soundscapes generated by sleepassistance device 1 change in alarm subroutine 45 to continue reflectingthe sounds associated the selected soundscape, while ensuring that auser will awaken based on the sounds presented. Again, a consistentsoundscape setting further aids a user in waking naturally from sleep ina less shocking manner. Where music is being used by sound-maskingsubroutine 27, processor 15 may, during alarm subroutine 45, beginselecting songs with acoustic properties that are highly likely to wakea user from sleep, while also adjusting the volume, in order to beginencourage a user to wake up.

As with the gentle wake-up phase, processor 15 may refer to sleepprofile 29 to determine the appropriate sound records, acousticproperties, or songs for waking a user during alarm subroutine 45, basedon past observations from biometric sensor 19. Where a user has notawoken despite the initiation of alarm subroutine 45, processor 15 maycontinue to alter the acoustic properties of the sound played by sleepassistance device 1 in a manner more disruptive to sleep until the userhas awoken. In such instances, biometric sensor 19 indicates when theuser has eventually awakened and processor 15 may record the wake-upevent along with the current acoustic settings in sleep profile 29 tofurther refine the acoustic settings that are employed in the futureduring alarm subroutine 45 (box 604).

Thus, in some implementations, a continual soundscape is maintainedthroughout a user's sleep progression. For example, a consistentsoundscape can be employed during relaxation subroutine 25 orrespiration entrainment subroutine 26, sound-masking subroutine 27,gentle wake-up subroutine 43, and alarm subroutine 45. By employing aconsistent soundscape scene, such as a beach, a forest, a city, or abrook, throughout the user's sleep progression, users are likely toenjoy longer or higher quality, uninterrupted sleep without thedisruption caused by abrupt or unexpected changes to the acousticproperties of their bedroom or sleep space. By providing for aconsistent acoustic framework, the properties of which change graduallythroughout the user's sleep cycle in order to adapt to the user's needs,the present disclosure provides a helpful sleep system for a user.

One of skill in the art will appreciate that the systems, methods andapparatuses outlined above may include various hardware and operatingsoftware, familiar to those of skill in the art, for running softwareprograms as well as communicating with and operating any devices,including, for example, a biometric sensor, environmental sensors, auser interface, a computer network, a sound system, and any otherinternal or external devices. Such computerized systems may also includememory and storage media, and other internal and external componentswhich may be used for carrying out the operations of this disclosure.Moreover, such computer systems may include one or more processors forprocessing and controlling the operation of the computer system, thus,embodying the processes of this disclosure. To that end, the processor,associated hardware and communications systems may carry out the variousexamples presented herein.

While the disclosed subject matter is described herein in terms ofcertain exemplary implementations, those skilled in the art willrecognize that various modifications and improvements can be made to thedisclosed subject matter without departing from the scope thereof. Assuch, the particular features claimed below and disclosed above can becombined with each other in other manners within the scope of thedisclosed subject matter such that the disclosed subject matter shouldbe recognized as also specifically directed to other implementationshaving any other possible permutations and combinations. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications andvariations can be made in the systems and methods of the disclosedsubject matter without departing from the spirit or scope of thedisclosed subject matter. Thus, it is intended that the disclosedsubject matter include modifications and variations that are within thescope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed:
 1. A sleep assistance device comprising: a housing; acontactless biometric sensor for determining at least one of a heartrate, a respiratory rate, a presence of a user, or movement of a user; aprocessor; memory; and a speaker; wherein said processor is configuredto detect a user's sleep state by reading signals from said contactlessbiometric sensor based on at least one of a detected change inheartrate, body movement, respiration, or a user's presence; whereinsaid processor is configured to initiate a wind-down routine upondetecting a sleep-readiness state, the wind-down routine comprising atleast one of playing relaxing sounds or playing a respirationentrainment sound; wherein said processor is further configured to playnoise-masking sounds upon detecting that a user has fallen asleep; andwherein said processor is configured to seamlessly transition betweenthe sounds played during said wind-down routine and the noise-maskingsounds.
 2. The sleep assistance device of claim 1, wherein saidprocessor is configured to detect a sleep-readiness state of a user byreading signals from said contactless biometric sensor and determiningthat a user is present.
 3. The sleep assistance device of claim 1,further comprising a photodetector and wherein said processor isconfigured to detect a sleep-readiness state of a user by readingsignals from said photodetector and determining that the lights in thevicinity of the sleep assistance device have been turned down.
 4. Thesleep assistance device of claim 1, wherein said relaxing soundscomprise a soundscape including at least one sound relating to a sceneor place.
 5. The sleep assistance device of claim 1, wherein saidrespiration entrainment sounds comprise a soundscape including at leastone sound relating to a scene or place.
 6. The sleep assistance deviceof claim 5, wherein said processor is configured to play at least one ofsaid respiration entrainment sounds at a regular interval forrespiration entrainment.
 7. The sleep assistance device of claim 6,wherein said processor is configured to detect a user's initialrespiration rate and determine said regular interval for respirationentrainment based on the user's initial respiration rate.
 8. The sleepassistance device of claim 7, wherein said processor is configured toperiodically detect the user's current respiration rate afterdetermining said initial respiration rate and to adjust said regularinterval for respiration entrainment based on the user's currentrespiration rate.
 9. The sleep assistance device of claim 6, whereinsaid processor is configured to determine an optimal respiration ratefor a user and determine said regular interval for respirationentrainment based on said optimal respiration rate.
 10. The sleepassistance device of claim 1, further comprising: a microphone; whereinsaid processor is further configured to detect ambient noise conditionswithin a sleep space; and wherein said processor is further configuredto select said noise-masking sounds based on said detected ambient noiseconditions.
 11. The sleep assistance device of claim 10, wherein saidprocessor is configured to seamlessly transition between the soundsplayed during said wind-down routine and the noise-masking sounds bygradually adjusting the sound properties of the sounds played duringsaid wind-down routine to match the sound properties of said selectednoise-masking sounds.
 12. A sleep assistance device comprising: ahousing; a contactless biometric sensor for determining at least one ofa heart rate, a respiratory rate, a presence of a user, or movement of auser; a processor; memory; and a speaker; wherein said processor isconfigured to detect a user's sleep state by reading signals from saidcontactless biometric sensor based on at least one of a detected changein heartrate, body movement, respiration, or a user's presence; whereinsaid processor is configured to initiate a wind-down routineautomatically upon detecting that a user is ready to sleep; wherein saidwind-down routine comprises presenting a user with at least one of anend-of-day checklist, home status information, or information regardingthe current sleep status of a third party; and wherein said wind-downroutine further comprises playing sounds or music for encouragingrelaxation of a user and said processor is configured to select orarrange said sounds or music based, at least in part, on informationreceived from said contactless biometric sensor or a user profile. 13.The sleep assistance device of claim 12, wherein said processor isfurther configured to arrange said sounds in the form of a soundscape.14. The sleep assistance device of claim 13, wherein said processor isfurther configured to arrange said soundscape by selecting, arranging,and mixing the sound elements for said soundscape.
 15. The sleepassistance device of claim 1, further comprising a microphone fordetecting external noises within a room or sleep space.
 16. The sleepassistance device of claim 15, wherein said processor is furtherconfigured to initiate a sound-masking routine upon detecting that auser has fallen asleep in order to mask ambient noises.
 17. The sleepassistance device of claim 16, wherein said processor is configured toinitiate a sound-masking routine by reading signals from saidmicrophone, analyzing ambient noises detected by said microphone, andselecting, arranging, or mixing a complimentary background sound based,at least in part, on the noises detected by said microphone.
 18. Thesleep assistance device of claim 17, wherein said processor is furtherconfigured to arrange said complimentary background sound by selecting,arranging, and mixing the sound elements for a soundscape.
 19. The sleepassistance device of claim 17, wherein said processor is furtherconfigured to gradually transition from said sounds or music forencouraging relaxation to said complimentary background sound.
 20. Amethod for helping a user fall asleep comprising: detecting a firstbiometric indicator of a user including at least one of a heart rate,respiration rate, or presence of a user; based on the first biometricindicator, determining that the user is ready to fall asleep; selectinga first background noise that includes a repeating sound element;arranging said first background noise so that said repeating soundelement repeats at a rate that is lower than the detected heart rate orrespiration rate of said user in order to reduce the heart rate orrespiration rate of a user through entrainment; detecting a secondbiometric indicator of a user including at least one of a heart rate,respiration rate, or presence of a user; based on the second biometricindicator, determining that the user has fallen asleep; detectingambient noises; arranging a second background noise for masking thedetected ambient noises; and gradually transitioning from said firstbackground noise to said second background noise.
 21. The method ofclaim 20 wherein said first and second background noises comprisesoundscapes associated with naturally-occurring scenes and said at leastone repeating sound element comprises a naturally-occurring soundelement within at least one of said scenes.
 22. The method of claim 20wherein said first background noise comprises a beach soundscape andsaid repeating sound element comprises the sound of a wave crashing. 23.The method of claim 20 wherein said first background noise comprises aforest soundscape and said repeating sound element comprises the soundof a frog.